Bakugan: Betrayer
by FrostPrince
Summary: A part of my abandoned fanfic from February 2013.


**Author's Note:** I'd originally made the first 3 to 4 chapters of this fanfic in February 2013 but I took it down. I erased most of it at some point with the exception of two brawls, which I'm posting here for nostalgic/archival purposes.

* * *

The moment I activated my Field card, I felt like I was about to hurl.

It's a stupid problem I always had. I got it every single time I challenged someone to a brawl, and no matter how prepared and genuinely excited I was for that anticipated thrill of the fight, the indescribable feeling was unavoidable. The transition from the familiar, predictable Earth to the mysterious, unknown space of the brawling arena just unsettled me in a weird way. Entering a void where Earth time was meaningless and the thick, tense energy in the air could become unstable at any moment and ignite a billion fires. The entirety of it just fell upon me like a ton of heavy bricks. You know what I'm talking about, right?

Squinting to adjust to the abrupt change of lighting in the area, I glanced solemnly at my opponent. His taunting smirk meant nothing to me. Besides, it swiftly vanished when he noticed my composed, expressionless face. I stood straight and motionless, gazing at the pathetic guy with indifference. He tilted his head slightly in confusion, and then barked, "What are you staring at, ya creep?!"

My mind chuckled to itself, but outside my facial expression showed no signs of morphing. It was kind of a mixture between my default expression and my brawling expression. It's default because in the real world I'd rather that people didn't know what was going on in my head. The more mysterious I was, the less focus I would attract to myself. It's not like people want to approach a guy who looks like he plays poker twenty-four seven, who has pale skin that resembled a vampire's, and ask if he wants to be friends. Less approachable equals more preferable for me. I don't want to explain my life story to a bunch of people, trust me.

But yeah, the brawling expression. Sure, I got a sudden boost of happiness at the idea of battling another unlucky, arrogant bully, but if I had a broad smile on my face and my eyes looked like they would pop out of their sockets, my opponent would come to the conclusion that I was some naive, dumb kid. They'd figure I was a guy who thought brawling was like having Halloween and your birthday rolled in one. The first time I brawled, I looked so ready to burst my battling partner called to me, "Do you have to go to the bathroom, dork?! It looks like you're constipated!"

I learned my lesson after that.

As I observed the multi-colored environment that was the playing field, I couldn't help but ask myself, why are there so many brain-dead, superior-acting people in school that I have to teach a lesson to? Why can't they realize that their brains are smaller than walnuts and fix themselves?

"Are you ready to get clobbered?!" my current opponent demanded irritably, yelling with an unnecessarily high pitch.

I didn't respond. Instead, I tried to remember the guy's name. There was so many people in my grade with the exact same personality as him that it was difficult to register them in my memory and keep them permanently, even if he told me just a few minutes prior to opening the field. It was Jordon... no. Jake? No... Jace? Wait... Jason! That's it!

Okay, to be honest, I didn't actually care what his name was. The only thing that mattered was that the 'Jason' guy had to be put in his place. I mean, who the hell advances towards someone and calls them an ugly cow for no reason whatsoever? It was rude, even for his type.

"Gaith, will you hurry up!" Jason shouted. He was now closing his fists tightly, eager to get the game going.

Instead of granting him a voiced reply, I nodded my head and pivoted my body so that I was facing diagonally. It was a comfortable position that allowed me to throw my gate card with ease and accuracy. I mean, it landed in the same place no matter what I did, but it was more fun to pretend that launching the card out of my hand was a game in itself, like who can hit the target with supposed 'accuracy' and what not.

Just little things to make life more fun.

I ran a hand through my straight, short black hair, contemplating what I should start with. Then, I reached into the right pocket of my grey sports pants to retrieve my first Gate card. I had randomly chosen today that I'd come to school wearing my favorite, most comfy clothing I could locate while rummaging through my disorganized mess of a room. Accompanying my grey sports pants were my stark black boots, and I sported my black t-shirt with the Chinese-style dragon etched into it in white. On top of that was my gleaming black hooded sweater. The hood was up, and once again that was for both personal reasons and brawling reasons.

Brawling: it gave me more mystery. Personal: it gave me more mystery and it was comfy as hell.

It wasn't like I wore clothing for other people. That would be just stupid. I wasn't the type of guy who was desperately trying to impress other fourteen-year olds with the supposedly 'hip' latest fashion trends for teen boys. What I wore was for my own benefit and my own benefit alone. If people had problems with how I looked, I just told them to screw off and die in a hole somewhere. It was like when people scrutinized me for my nose that they deemed 'a little too big' or my emerald green eyes that they claimed looked 'half-shut like you've woken up from a sleep'.

So again, I'd have said go screw yourself and die in a hole.

I gripped the Gate card that was on top of the card pile I possessed in my pocket, consisting of three Gate cards and countless ability cards. In a manner that some would describe as graceful and gingerly, I removed the card from my pants pocket and pulled it out to inspect it. It was my silver card, which I always coupled with my Fear Ripper. The only reason I did this was because silver cards looked cool and Fear Ripper was cool. Especially in Ventus.

Without a word I narrowed my eyes at my victim of the day. Jason had also selected his first Gate card and was preparing himself to fling it out of his hand. With an unspoken agreement, we threw our Gate cards onto the field, mine with a subtle flick of the wrist that sent it soaring like a pebble being tossed across water. It landed elegantly, and immediately after coming in contact with the ground it expanded into its gigantic form.

"I'll start!" Jason yelled cockily from across the playing area.

I gave a slight nod in response, and Jason grinned deviously. Going first is stupid, I thought exasperatedly to myself. You let your opponent analyze the field once you've gone and then they can take advantage of you by either doing a Sphere Attack or doing something else that completely screws you over...

...Kind of like what I was going to do.

"Gate card, set!" Jason declared. I witnessed him pluck another gate card from his pocket and, pretending to be some shuriken-blade-throwing ninja, he shot it through the air. The card whistled as it sliced through the air, placing itself on the right side next to his other card.

Pathetic idiot, I thought, my mind rolling its eyes. Why would you set up your card farther away from you? So you can accidentally throw your Bakugan with not enough force and make it land on the opponent's Gate card?

This guy doesn't understand the first thing about strategy, I deduced.

"Bakugan brawl!" Jason cried out mightily. I released a snort that built up inside me for a split second before I somehow let it escape. Jason whipped his head around to face me directly. "What's so funny?" he questioned me, raising an eyebrow.

"That was nothing of relevance," I assured him. I cleared my throat and waved for him to continue his throw.

Jason shrugged and launched his Bakugan. It sailed through the air like a bullet, managing to actually bypass both of his cards. It tumbled to the ground and rolled away.

Oh yeah, I thought. These guys use a lot of unnecessary force when throwing, so it's overshooting that's they're weakness.

"Damn," Jason muttered to himself. He sighed heavily, and then grunted angrily.

"Are you done?" I asked, sounding bored. I really was, as a matter of fact.

"Yes," Jason grumbled. He lowered his head, indicating for me to make my move.

Alright then, I thought. I started off by grabbing another Gate card in my pocket, the copper one, and tossing it onto the field. Then, it was time to whip out the plan I always used at the beginning of brawls when my opponent set another Gate card before throwing. "Ability card, activate!" I proclaimed, the fierceness of my voice shocking Jason back into reality. He stared at me with wide eyes as I whipped out my ability card. "Behold, Oversurge!" I declared.

I watched as my ability card began to glow a haunting green. Within seconds, a massive green flame exited the card and began making its way towards the card Jason had thrown first. It was engulfed in the horrifying green blaze, and Jason's eyes became perfect circles of stunned white as the intense inferno scorched his card into oblivion.

"What... what did you just do?" Jason inquired incredulously, still staring at the ground that had held his card.

"Oversurge allows me to automatically remove a Gate card from the game," I explained to him. "Your card won't be won by either one of us throughout this entire session."

"Why you little..." Jason began to complain, but I silenced him with a raised fist. "Bakugan... brawl!" I shouted ferociously. My Ventus Fear Ripper rocketed straight onto my silver card, rolling to a stop and popping open.

Then it got better.

A wide shaft of green light jutted out from my Bakugan, expanding to an enormous size until it gradually vanished, revealing the full-sized, in the flesh Fear Ripper. He made an animalistic snarl while flexing his gigantic claws, hungry for battle.

"Ooh! Scary!" Jason mocked, holding his hands to his cheeks, feigning fright. "Your Fear Ripper will tear my Bakugan apart. Oh no!"

Yes, yes he will, I confirmed in my head. Just you wait.

"Bakugan brawl!" Jason declared once more as he re-shot his Bakugan. This time, it landed safely on my card.

Fool.

"Behold my Stinglash!" Jason cackled diabolically. He sounded utterly ridiculous doing that, but I didn't mention anything. I'd rather just get the clash over with, evading any unnecessary conversations for the duration of the brawl.

I watched as Jason's Stinglash appeared from its ball, waving its deadly stinger around like it was king of the universe. I could imagine him thinking, Rawr! I am the most powerful Bakugan ever! Fear me, puny humans!

"Gate card, open!" I said, performing a hand movement that resembled flipping something up. The card obeyed, revealing its underside. "Sonic Strife!" I declared.

Fear Ripper growled as he looked at the other monstrosity facing him. Then, both of the Bakugan began to radiate a glow that was the same color as their attributes: Fear Ripper's was Ventus green while Stinglash's was Darkus purple.

That reminded me. I checked my right wrist, where a specially-designed watch wrapped around it tightly. On its screen I noticed the increase of my Fear Ripper's 370G to 570G in an instant, while Stinglash's increase was from 325G to 415G.

Jason was toast.

"Ability card, activate!" Jason cried. "Evil Transfer!"

I gazed blankly at the two Bakugan on the field while my Fear Ripper fell to his knees. My watch displayed what was going on; Fear Ripper had lost 50G because Jason's ability stole it and fed it to his Bakugan. Is that the best you've got? I asked in my mind.

"Next I activate Dormant Secret!" Jason told me.

"Oh. That," I mumbled. The card wasn't anything special. It just doubled the Gate card bonus for his creature, so now my Fear Ripper of 570G had been decreased to 520G while Jason's Darkus Stinglash increased from 415G to 465G to 555G.

Not allowing Jason time to gloat about his new advantage over me, I hurried up with my counter. "Ability card activate! Greed's Punishment!"

"What?" I queried quizzically. Before he could get an answer (actually, I wasn't going to answer him anyway) my ability card flew out of my hand and entered his Stinglash, immediately reducing his Gs back to 465G. "Greed's Punishment can only be activated when an opponent plays an ability that increases his or her's Bakugan's Gs," I explained to him in monotone. "The G-power increase is negated, so say goodbye to those extra ninety Gs."

"Ah! No!" Jason whined, but his complaints were futile. Fear Ripper charged straight at Stinglash, who lashed out with his stinger (hence why he was called 'Sting-lash'). Fear Ripper deflected the blow with his oversized claws and struck Stinglash in the head, immediately destroying him. Jason watched helplessly as Stinglash reverted back into ball form and dropped next to his feet.

"You'll pay for that!" Jason informed me furiously.

I continued to stare at him with no discernible expression on my face.

Jason set his final card onto the Field. "Bakugan brawl!" he screeched, throwing his Bakugan with determination. It landed with blunt force onto my card, which apparently he hadn't been planning to do since he smacked his forehead with his hand. "Aw, crap!" he exclaimed irritably as his Darkus Siege grew to full size.

Whiner, I commented absently in my head as I set my final Gate card, too.

All the abilities you could use but you have to use three Gate cards exactly? What kind of game is this? I asked myself.

As I reached into my left pocket to retrieve my next Bakugan, a familiar voice emanated from there. "You should pick me, Gaith," he suggested with a solemn, confident tone.

"Not now, Athespal," I hissed. I argued, "You know I save you for last."

"But you never know when he might pop out a serious combination that ends up beating you," Athespal pressed on. "Pleeeease?" he insisted stubbornly.

"Athespal, since when has my strategy ever failed me?" I probed my Guardian Bakugan. Athespal was known to be overprotective and worrying, always pondering over what could be without thinking it through.

"I guess you're right," Athespal admitted with a deep sigh.

"Don't worry." My tone softened. "You'll get your chance, and when you do you can teach this bully who's boss, 'kay?"

"'Kay," Athespal answered. "We'll show him not to call me a small marble." He remained quiet as I poked around in my pocket to find my Ventus Reaper.

"Come on, Gaith!" Jason shouted. People these days just didn't have any patience. "I'm getting old!"

"That would do you some good!" I called back. "Maybe when you're an eighty-five year old man you'll become a bit smarter than you are now!" I retorted. I couldn't help myself. The opportunity was too tempting too brush aside.

"Oh, you'll regret that!" Jason promised.

I pinched the bridge of my nose in exasperation as I pulled out Ventus Reaper. Before slinging him onto the field, though, I snuck an ability card out of my right pocket and activated it. "Ability card activate! Portal Of Allure!"

Jason was once again baffled by my advanced ability card, and groaned when he saw his Siege teleport to my card, which was secretly the copper one. "Now then. Bakugan brawl!" I declared valiantly, tossing my Reaper onto my card. He appeared in his original form and I flipped open the gate card. "Gate card open! Early Punishment!"

From out of the Gate card came a towering hand that gripped Jason's Siege tightly, decreasing it's Gs by half. Now instead of 360G, it was 180G.

"Oh no you don't!" Jason shouted. "I counter that with this! Ability card activate!" He raised his hand in the air. "Vanishing Ghost!"

The hand that held Siege shattered into millions of tiny, dark shards that fell back into the card. My watch told me that his card had deactivated my Gate card's effect.

"Good one," I remarked, scanning my ability cards that were in my hand. "My reaper still has more Gs than you. 390G to 360G."

"Not for long!" Jason chuckled tauntingly. "Ability card activate! Exchange Of Power!"

I remained indifferent as a single line of energy passed through both of the Bakugan. An orb of light travelled from the end of the energy line that passed through Reaper to the end of the line that passed through Siege. "I guess you're stronger by 30G. I'm quivering in terror," I remarked sarcastically.

I smirked while Jason's eyebrows twitched, annoyed at my utter lack of fright. In the real world, I could kick Jason's butt with my fighting skills, but he liked to think that he was a powerful force to be reckoned with. It was quite humorous, really. With my skilled, strategic fighting style I could take him out in ten seconds flat.

In brawling, however, I could take him out in five.

Jason activated an ability that gave him 75Gs. That was when I made a move.

"Ability card activate," I exhaled in disinterest. It was more of a bored statement than a mighty declaration, but I couldn't have cared less. "Shadow's Might."

I may have been a Ventus player, but I was as sly as a Darkus brawler. "Shadow's Might gives me the same increase in G power as my opponent when they activated an ability card," I explained the rules of my ability once more to Jason. "Therefore I gain 75Gs, as well."

"Oh, come on!" Jason whined. He huffed as my Reaper increased in Gs from 360 to 435. It was still not enough to take on Siege's 465G, but I had an ability card just for that.

"Where do you keep getting these abilities?!" Jason interrogated as I activated an ability that gave me 100Gs, but it was useless to ask. If I had cared enough to give him an answer, I would have told Jason that to get them, he'd have had to go outside on the night the cards fell from the sky and clean the street of every single one. It took a while but I had managed to collect all twenty-four Gate cards and fifty-nine ability cards on the street. Fifteen of the twenty-four Gate cards also gave me Bakugan.

All of it was pure gold by Bakugan standards.

"My ability was called Fond Memories!" I called to Jason. "My Bakugan gains 100G for each of my own Gate cards that I've won," I explained for the umpteenth time. "I have better cards, but I figured I'd use this one just for the heck of it."

My Ventus Reaper raised his looming scythe and with a swift motion cut Siege in half cleaner than if he were butter. Siege returned to his ball form and fell into Jason's outstretched hand.

"This isn't over!" Jason declared heartily.

It's ALMOST over, though, I told myself, grinning confidently.

"Can I come out now?" Athespal pleaded.

"It's Jason's turn," I pointed out.

"Right," Athespal sighed in comprehension.

Jason readied his final Bakugan in his hand, blowing on his closed fist for good luck. This game doesn't use luck, I wanted to remind him. It's all about calculated moves and carefully-planned combos. Only a completely ignorant idiot would think it's only about the amount of Gs. You have to couple strength with smarts.

"Bakugan... brawl!" Jason yelled in an effort to sound unafraid of the thought of losing, but I could hear it in his voice, the uncertain tone and the squeakiness that reminded me of a show where a tiny cockroach squealed in fright as a punk-like teenager crushed it beneath his boot-covered foot.

And here Jason was, being crushed by me in a metaphorical sense, squealing for a miracle but ultimately never going to get one.

Jason's Robotallion popped open on his Gate card. My watch told me it had 400G, which was impressive for that type of Bakugan. With a particular strategy in mind, I emptied my pocket of Athespal. He slipped out of my hand by accident and nearly fell to the ground, but before he could collide with the hard surface Athespal opened himself up and floated back up to me. "Be careful!" Athespal scolded me.

"Sorry." I rubbed my arm sheepishly. Grabbing my floating Guardian Bakugan out of the air, I set myself up in a baseball-like style, throwing my Bakugan as if I was throwing a baseball at a batter. It was interesting to try out different moves to see which I felt comfortable with. I made a mental note to recheck this type of throw later. It felt nice.

"Bakugan brawl," I whispered to myself, since I forgot to do so when I had actually shot Athespal onto the field. It didn't matter, anyway. Saying it was just to be polite to the opponent by informing them of what you were doing, and I never intended to be respectful to Jason in the first place.

He was just another bully I was about to take down.

Athespal's sphere hit Robotallion in the forehead, sending him staggering backwards. He nearly fell onto Jason, who shielded his head with his hands, but Robotallion regained his balance and prepared himself for the fight. My watch told me the Sphere Attack knocked 100Gs off of him. I'd probably win whether that happened or not, but you could never know what the enemy could do that could change the future winner into a future loser. All precautions were necessary.

Athespal settled onto the Gate card, releasing a ginormous, spherical field of energy that stretched outwards. I was used to the force and stood my ground, but Jason had been completely surprised by it and was blown back a couple of feet. "What are you doing, punk?" he demanded.

I pointed towards the playing field so he'd get his answer. When the brilliant energy subsided, in its place was a beast larger than Robotallion. He was mostly humanoid from the neck down, with 4 clawed fingers for the two hands. The feet were clawed, as well. The skin was dark green and the shoulder spikes that jutted out were neon green, as well as the various markings that covered him. The head was in the shape of a diamond, and the eyes were ovular, blood red and narrowed. Floating above the upper sides of the diamond-shaped head were two pointy, triangular ears, and above the tip of the 'diamond' was a tri-pointed crown of gold with a purple diamond embroidered into the center.

"Behold, my one and only Ventus Athespal!" I decreed.

"Prepare yourself, insignificant earthling, to feel the wrath of one of the most powerful Bakugan in existence!" Athespal roared triumphantly.

"What the heck is that thing!" Jason questioned me, stepping back a few feet, not averting his focus from Athespal's looming figure.

I couldn't help but answer with the cheesiest evil line I could muster. "Your worst nightmare," I responded, grinning malevolently. The malevolence didn't necessarily make me evil, though. I considered myself more of a dark hero than anything else. Slaying all bullies in a heated brawl, showing no mercy with my strategies, all that stuff.

"Ability card activate!" I exclaimed. "Cosmic Surge!"

Cosmic Surge evidently worked only on Athespal. It wasn't a particularly intriguing ability; it just gave him a 200G boost. My watch's display showed me Athespal's increase from 500G to 700G, bypassing Jason's Robotallion's 400G.

"Ability card activate!" I shouted when Jason raised his right hand that held an ability. "Negate Boost!" I screamed. The card in Jason's hand disappeared.

"Negate Boost negates the ability you were about to play," I smirked. "But continue with your futile attempt to survive this brawl."

"GRRRR!" Jason growled. "Ability card activate! Energy Bombardment!"

Energy Bombardment sent multiple energy orbs heading straight towards Athespal. Athespal held his stomach in pain as the orbs entered him, decreasing his Gs from 700G to 550G."

"Eneryg Bombardment activates when my opponent has defeated one or more of my Bakugan!" Jason explained. "For each one lost, your current Bakugan loses 75G."

"So," I blinked. "I still have 150G more than you."

"Not for long!" Jason declared. "Ability card activate! Robotallion's Cry!" Jason then explained to me the effect. "This rare ability card increases my Robotallion's Gs by the difference between his Gs and the opponent's Bakugan if the opponent's Bakugan has more Gs."

"Ah. Interesting. Well done," I complemented Jason as Robotallion's Gs became 550 like my Athespal's. "However, they're still the same amount of Gs."

"Exactly!" Jason said. "But now, I activate another ability card!"

"No you don't!" I yelled. "Did you forget I have a Gate card waiting to be opened underneath their feet?"

Wha...?!" Jason gasped.

I opened my Gate card. "It's the Athespal Gate!" I proclaimed. "He gains double his G-power boost thanks to this card's effect."

Robotallion's Gs increased from 550G to 700G while Athespal gained an awe-striking 400Gs, giving him a Total of 950G.

"Ability card activate! Final Reign!"

The ability card I held in my hand transformed into dozens of shards of pure energy. They rose high into the air, and then cascaded over Athespal. "Final Reign gives each Bakugan the G-power increase of the two other Bakugan in their elemental 'triangle'. In other words, your Bakugan gains the Ventus and Subterra boosts, while Athespal gains the Darkus and Subterra boosts."

Athespal gave an alien-like shriek as his power surged up by 150G, and then 50G. Combined it gave Athespal a total of 1150Gs. Meanwhile, Robotallion ended up with a mere total of 900G.

"AAAHHHH!" Jason panicked, witnessing my Athespal and his Robotallion gain more strength.

"I must admit this was a decent game we've played here," I spoke as Athespal charged at Robotallion, rendering him into his ball form, "but you simply must brush up on your strategy. Oh, and get better cards," I advised Jason. "I'm sure people would be willing to trade with you if you weren't such a short-tempered prick to everyone." I then snorted. "Even your friends don't want to trade with you."

"NOOOOOO!" Jason screamed as any remaining Gate cards on the field returned to our pockets.

Athespal went back into his ball form and opened up. "I think that was a close call," he remarked.

I shrugged nonchalantly. "I can do way better than what I did today, but I was both tired and just didn't feel like wasting my good strategies on this pathetic excuse for a human being."

I looked up to spot Jason on the ground, pounding his fist so that within seconds I could tell they were red and in pain from my vantage point. "Don't beat yourself up over it!" I called to him. "You just got what you deserved!"

Before Jason could come up with a reply the field vanished, taking us back to the halls of Horriston High School. The crumbling, pale white ceiling above us and the muddy brown lockers that lined both sides of the walls were all too familiar. Instead of the faint grey surface we were on in the field, Jason and I stood on indigo, tiled floor.

* * *

"Field, open!" Athis and I yelled.

I clenched my stomach tightly as the scene shifted from the school yard to the battling area. The swirling disks of beautiful but mysterious energy that hung in the sky above beacme more distinct as the space of the whole field settled down. The rough concrete of the school yard was replaced by the smooth, flat, rocky grey ground.

Athis and I adjusted the distance between us to allow room for our Gate cards. "I'll start," Athis called to me.

"Okay," I nodded solemnly. I didn't feel like questioning his choice at the moment. Today I just felt like brawling without laboring unnecessarily on my opponent's brawling style. Just brawl, period.

"Gate card, set!" the two of us declared, setting our Gate cards. Mine was the silver card like last time. My sequence in Gate card setting was silver, copper and gold. It was an efficient and easy-to-remember method.

"Bakugan brawl!" Athis shouted. His Bakugan landed on his Gate card with perfect precision, opening up to reveal Siridye.

Your strongest Bakugan first? I wondered. Alright then.

Athis held the same expressionless face as me. Whether he was like me and it was almost entirely for the brawl, I had no clue. It didn't matter, in any case.

"I think I'll go with a safer option than battling him," I whispered to Athespal, who once again left my jacket pocket. He now rested on my shoulder.

"You do that," Athespal said.

I set my copper Gate card and launched my Bakugan out of my hand. "Bakugan brawl!" I proclaimed. Ventus Fear Ripper jumped into the air and landed on the Gate card with a massive stomp. "Your move," I told Athis.

Athis set another Gate card, as well. He then launched his Bakugan at my Fear Ripper. It didn't collide with him, but instead it just stopped rolling and stood. The Bakugan turned out to be Darkus Monarus. Checking my BakuPod, I discovered that it had 385Gs.

"Gate card, open!" I commanded, performing the usual flipping motion with my hand. Like the brawl with Jason, Fear Ripper increased to 570Gs due to the 200G increase for Ventus. Monarus' Gs rose to 475.

"Ability card, activate," Athis spoke, barely audible.

I raised my eyebrows in mild surprise as Fear Ripper lost his 200Gs and Monarus gained it in his place, increasing in Gs to 675G. Compared to my Fear Ripper's 370, Monarus was a beast.

"Dark Overload," Athis explained, noticing my expression. "I just took the Gate card's G increase from you."

"I can see that," I frowned. "Well, I guess I have no choice but to counter with... Empty Hands!"

Empty Hands was actually an ability card that I had traded for. In it's place I gave a semi-powerful ability to an orange-haired girl who was interested in it while I was showing to a bunch of kids. Empty Hands negated the Gate card's G-power boosts entirely. Therefore, Athis had to stand by and watch as Fear Ripper's Gs remained 370G while Monarus lost her increases and once again became 385G.

"Ability card, activate!" Athis declared, but I stopped him with Negate Boost. "I see," Athis said, inspecting my vanishing ability card that soon re-emerged from thin air and pierced his ability card, effectively nullifying it. "It's too bad that ability would only have given Monarus 50G. Now I activate my actual ability, Draining Power!"

I ensured the strength in my legs was enough to keep me from getting sucked into a hurricane-like storm that had appeared from the sky. It rained purple water that washed onto Fear Ripper, decreasing his Gs by 50. "Okay," I commented blandly.

"Now, Monarus! Destroy his Fear Ripper!" Athis ordered. Monarus prepared to strike, but Fear Ripper lashed out with his claws. Monarus retreated backwards.

"Ability card, activate!" I yelled.

"Negate Boost," Athis interjected. "I have it, too. Whatever that was is useless now."

"Damn," I muttered as Evil Transfer dissintigrated in my raised hand. "How'd he come across a Negate Boost?" I pondered out loud as Monarus finally dealt a successful attack that knocked Fear Ripper back into ball form.

Monarus returned into ball form as well, and flew into Athis' hands. "It's now my turn," he told me solemnly. He once again shot his Bakugan, and this time it landed on my copper card. A Darkus Bee Striker opened up, its wings vibrating threateningly.

"Ha-ha-ha," I chuckled darkly. "Bakugan brawl."

Ventus Reaper shot onto my copper card, which wasn't the same card I had used with the brawl against Jason. I figured that other opponent's, ones saner than Jason, would rely on ability cards like I did. Therefore, I set up a little unexpected gift.

"Bakugan stand!" I yelled as Reaper came forth from his ball. "And now I reveal my Gate card, Damage Disruption!"

Both my deck and Athis' deck of ability cards glowed, and then thin, steel chains wrapped around them. "Damage Disruption forbids abilities from being played in a battle where two Bakugan have different attributes."

The G-power boosts activated, increasing my Reaper from 390 to 460 while Bee Striker's mere 350 increased to 360. I always chose cards that would give the opponent a smaller boost than my own Bakugan, making the overall difference between both Bakugan's Gs greater. Just another bit of strategy people should really be picking up on.

Athis murmured something that resembled a swear word before Reaper obliterated Bee Striker with a swish of his scythe. Both Bakugan returned into their ball versions.

"Excellent move," Athespal complemented me. "I did not expect that."

"I just have to put myself in the minds of my opponents," I replied, grinning victoriously. "Now I think we should take care of Siridye later. Once we get another easy victory, we'll try to face him."

"Got it," Athespal said. I set Athespal's Gate card onto the field. "Bakugan brawl!" I exclaimed. Athespal bounced expertly towards my Gate card, landing gracefully. Athespal transformed into his larger version, free from the confines of the ball.

"So that's Athespal," Athis remarked admirably. "Impressive. However, I activate Marionette!"

"Hm?" I watched as Athespal moved onto Siridye's card. It ended up being Siridye's character Gate card. I made sure to check my BakuPod, which indicated that Athespal was at 500Gs while Siridye had 490Gs. With the Gate card, Siridye increased to 590 while Athespal's power became the same level.

"I activate Siridye's ability card, Umbral Veil!" Athis stated.

"Then I think I'll use Greed's Punishment!" I countered, stealing away the 200Gs. Now it was Athespal's 790 to Siridye's 590.

"Do you honestly think that you can defeat me, Athespal?" Siridye cackled with an arrogant tone. "You may as well give up now."

"You're a riot," Athespal responded. "You truly believe you can compare to Gaith's skill level? I'm afraid winning is something in a dream of yours."

"We shall see," Siridye replied, turning his attention to his brawling partner. "Would you happen to have a plan that will settle this predicament we've reached?" he inquired doubtfully.

"Yes," Athis answered. "I activate Noble Sacrifice!"

As the ability card was activated, Bee Striker's ball radiated an energy wave that travelled to Siridye, passing through his body. Siridye chuckled, satisfied.

"Noble Sacrifice give smy Bakugan the Gs of anoterh of my Bakugan that was defeated in battle," Athis elaborated on the effect in case I missed it.

"I got that," I spoke. "Now if you're done, I'll activate Poison Rings!" I yelled.

As the name of the ability card suggested, Poison Rings produced poisonous rings that latched themselves onto Siridye's fingers. "Now here's where it gets interesting," I informed them. "Poison Rings decreases my opponent's Bakugan's Gs by 75 for every ability card I've used, but if any of the ability cards increased my Bakugan's Gs, then your Bakugan would lose 75 no matter what amount of ability cards I've used. However, since that's not the case, Siridye will lose 150 Gs."

I checked my BakuPod. Athespal was at 790 while Siridye, formerly at 940, decreased to 790 as well."

"And now, to finish you off," I concluded, "I activate Cosmic Burst!"

Athespal gained 200Gs. Now with 990Gs, he was able to finally put an end to Siridye. Athespal closed his eyes and his crystal began to glow an ominous purple. Before Siridye could react, the crystal shot a diamond-shaped beam that aimed for and successfully hit Siridye's head. Siridye stumbled backwards and nearly fell onto Athis, who held his hands over his head. However, Siridye returned to ball form before he could get crushed.

Athespal returned to my hand. "You are truly a gifted battler," Athespal complemented me. I smiled warmly at him.

Athis's eyes were now narrowed, his expression solemn yet bordering in enraged. I stood without saying anything, just waiting for him to move.

Then, as unsuspected as the first battle that he won, Athis smiled.

"You're good!" he called to me. "I'm truly impressed."

"Thank you!" I called back. "It took me a while to get to my current level, but I'm proud."

Athis regarded me with a look that I couldn't recognize. It wasn't arrogance, or seriousness, or anything else like that. Studying his eyes, I deduced uncertainly that he was...

Trying to know what was in my mind.

Athis was actually thinking about what secrets lay hidden within my brain. For a split second I contemplated the meaning of this, but before I could make anything of it Athis had thrown his Siridye onto my card, which was secretly the Athespal Gate. Looking down to find Athespal standing on my shoe, I said, "Why don't we finish this?"

"We have all the time in the world, you know," Athespal pointed out. "When people say you should battle to pass the time, it doesn't actually pass time. Time is frozen outside of the playing field."

"Do you want to help me win?" I repeated in a different manner so Athespal wouldn't get all technical with me.

"Yes," Athespal responded. He levitated to reach my open hand, and I gripped him tightly. If I won this battle, I won the whole session. It felt somewhat gratifying to think of beating Athis, but a different type of gratifying than whippinh a bully's butt in the game. In any case, I was ready to give it my all.

"Bakugan brawl!" I declared, closing my eyes for a second to clear my mind of all thoughts that could potentially distract me from the battle. I launched Athespal back onto the field, where he bounced along with the grace of a slinky falling down a flight of stairs. He landed on the card and once again grew to his actual form.

"Re-match," Siridye told Athespal. "This time I won't let you walk away victorious."

"I'm sorry to say, Siridye, but you have no say on that matter," Athespal replied. "I vow to win and no matter what I will."

"Arrogance leads to demise," Siridye advised my Guardian.

"There's a difference between being arrogant and pointing out a fact about my mindset," Athespal argued. "I plan on winning."

"Then so do I," Siridye said.

"Gate card, open!" I ordered fiercely. My BakuPod displayed Athespal's 500Gs, which increased to 700, and Siridye's 490Gs, which elevated to 640.

"Thief Of Aces!" Athis cried. I watched as one of my ability cards vanished into thin air and reappeared in Athis' right hand. He then activated it. "I brought back your Emtpy Hands card!" he told me.

The G-power increases were nullified. Athespal and Siridye were back to 500 ad 490 Gs respectively. He apparently wanted to only be 10Gs below me than 60.

"Ability card, activate!" both Athis and I declared.

Our abilities differed, but they managed to give the same boost of 150Gs to our Bakugan.

"Shadow's Might!" Athis shouted. His Bakugan gained the same amount of Gs twice. 300 total had added to Siridye's 490, thus making 790. Athespal was stuck at 640Gs.

"Okay, time to play a new ability card," I exhaled. "Ability card, activate! Second Option!"

Athespal held out his arms and flipped his hands so the palms faced upwards. Two orbs of dark purple energy appeared and hovered over them. "Second Option can only be activated when I don't have any more Gate cards that I can place on the field in the future," I explained to Athis. "My Bakugan gains 150Gs."

And now the two Bakugan were at the same power level.

"It all comes down to our final ability card or cards," Siridye informed Athis. "Make this count."

"I have three abilities, but only have one I could use," Athis professed to his Bakugan. "And it wouldn't do much."

"Use it anyway," Siridye said.

Athis nodded and held his ability card in the air. "Greed's Punishment!"

"Dark Overload!" I countered. Greed's Punishment's use had essentially been for nothing.

"Gaith!" Athespal called to me. "Use that one!"

"What one?" I raised an eyebrow quizzically. It was then that I noticed an ability card I had dropped onto the ground. "Oh," I said, grinning embarrassedly. I picked it up off the floor and threw it onto the field. The card landed on the Gate Athespal and Siridye were battling on. "What was it again?" I asked aloud.

The ability gave Athespal one hundred Gs, while at the same time causing a reaction that made my Copper card light up. "Oh yeah!" I exclaimed in sudden realization. "It was Fond Memories!"

"Damn." Athis grunted. "My ability can't be used since I don't have all three of my Gate cards on the field," he told Siridye, who held his ground as Athespal made his trademark alien-like shriek.

"I know," Siridye sighed sadly, bracing himself for the oncoming quarrel with Athespal. "It appears I won't be getting 300Gs and winning the battle, or gaining 150Gs for being on our Gate card."

Athespal lunged at Siridye, who swerved to his left to evade the impact. Athespal had predicted this, and so at the same time he struck with his other arm. It came in contact with Siridye's head, and he staggered backwards, holding it in pain. Siridye jumped into the air as Athespal shot purple energy orbs at his feet, but his crystal on his floating crown did the aerial work. Countless dark, powerful spheres his Siridye, and he finally fell to the ground. The ground shook with the impact.

At last, Athespal stretched out his arms, shot a high-energy beam at Siridye, and he was done for.

The field disappeared. My field card returned to my hand and I placed it in my pocket. The shouts and patter of my fellow schoolmates rushing by could be heard once again, and the soft breeze that had been blowing constantly could now be felt.


End file.
